Creating Learning Opportunities for Teachers and Students: A Cultural-Historical Understanding of Classroom Research
Source: Curriculum Inquiry, Volume 43, Issue 2, pages 233–260, March 2013
In this article, the authors propose cultural-historical activity theory as a framework for understanding the opportunities that arise for students and teachers from the presence of researchers in the classroom.
From the perspective of cultural-historical activity theory and the concept of expansive learning, they articulate the significance of making use of the affordances that arise with the presence of researchers in educational settings.
They analyze three vignettes from their research in elementary mathematics classrooms for the purpose of illustrating a cultural-historical activity theoretic explanation of the interaction.
Finally, the authors suggest that the “impact” of research can be increased at least locally when participants capitalize on the opportunities that arise for teaching and learning when researchers are present.